Fast adaptive power control for a variable multirate communications system

ABSTRACT

A system and a method of controlling transmitter power in a wireless communication system in which user data is processed as a multirate signal in which the user data signal having a first rate is converted into a transmission data signal having a faster second rate for transmission. The transmission power is adjusted on a relatively slow basis based on quality of data received by a receiver of the transmitted data. The transmitter power is determined as a function of the first and second rates such that a change in the data rate in the multiple channels or the rate of the transmission data signal is compensated in advance of a quality of data based adjustment associated with such data rate change.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/966,588, filed Dec. 13, 2010; which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/470,125, filed May 21, 2009, which issued onDec. 14, 2010 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,853,285; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application No. 11/654,967, filed Jan. 17, 2007, whichissued on Jun. 2, 2009 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,542,777; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/000,297, filed Nov.30, 2004, which issued on May 8, 2007 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,215,974; whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/077,077, filedFeb. 15, 2002, which issued on Mar. 15, 2005 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,278;which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/904,020,filed Jul. 12, 2001, which issued on Dec. 14, 2004 as U.S. Pat. No.6,832,095; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/904,001, filed Jul. 12, 2001, which issued on Nov. 23, 2004 as U.S.Pat. No. 6,823,194; which in turn claim the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/223,375, filed Aug. 7, 2000 and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/221,348, filed Jul. 26, 2000, allof which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to power control for wirelesscommunication systems and, in particular, fast adaptive power controlsystem and methods for a variable multirate communication system.

BACKGROUND

Various methods of power control for wireless communication systems arewell known in the art. An example of an open loop power controltransmitter system for a single rate data system is illustrated inFIG. 1. An example of a closed loop power control transmitter system fora single rate data transmission is illustrated in FIG. 2.

The purpose of both systems is to rapidly vary transmitter power in thepresence of a fading propagation channel and time-varying interferenceto minimize transmitter power while insuring that data is received atthe remote end with acceptable quality. Typically, in a digitalimplementation, transmitter power is varied by applying a varying scalefactor to the digital data, as opposed, for example, to varying the gainof an RF amplifier.

In state-of-the-art communication systems such as Third GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) Time Division Duplex (TDD) and FrequencyDivision Duplex (FDD) systems, multiple channels of variable rate dataare combined for transmission. FIGS. 3 and 4 represent prior art openand closed power control transmission systems, respectively. Backgroundspecification data for such systems are found at 3GPP TS 25.223 v3.3.0,3GPP TS 25.222 v3.2.0, 3GPP TS 25.224 v3.6 and Volume 3 specificationsof Air-Interface for 3G Multiple System Version 1.0, Revision 1.0 by theAssociation of Radio Industries Businesses (ARIB).

Such open and closed loop power control systems for variable multiratewireless communications systems respond relatively slowly to data ratechanges, resulting in sub-optimal performance such as relating toexcessive transmitter power and below-quality received signals. It wouldbe desirable to provide a fast method and system of power controladaptation for data rate changes resulting in more optimal performance.

SUMMARY

The invention provides a method of controlling transmitter power in awireless communication system in which user data is processed as amultirate signal having a first rate and in which the user data signalhaving the first rate is converted into a transmission data signalhaving a second faster rate for transmission. The transmission power isadjusted on a relatively slow basis based on quality of data received bya receiver of the transmitted data. The transmitter power is determinedas a function of the first and second rates such that a change in thedata rate in the user data signal or the rate of the transmission datasignal is compensated for in advance of a quality of data basedadjustment associated with such data rate change. Preferably, the userdata signal having the first rate is converted into the transmissiondata signal having the second faster rate by repeating selected databits whereby the energy per bit to noise spectrum density ratio isincreased in the transmission data signal.

The method is applicable in either an open or closed power controlsystem where a scale factor is applied to control transmitter power. Inimplementing the invention in a transmitter of either an open or closedsystem, preferably the square root of the ratio of the first ratedivided by the second rate is applied as a weighting factor to the scalefactor.

The method is applicable to an open loop power control system where thetransmitter receives a reference signal, reference signal power data,measured interference power data, and target signal to interferenceratio (SIR) data which SIR data is based on relatively slowly collectedreceived signal quality data. The transmitter measures the referencesignal to determine received reference signal power and computes a pathloss based on the received reference signal power data and thedetermined reference signal power. The transmitter then computes thescale factor based on the computed path loss, the received measuredinterference power data, the target SIR data and the weighting factor.

The method is also applicable to a closed loop system where thetransmitter utilizes step up/down data generated by the receiver andcomputes the scale factor based on the step up/step down data and theweighting factor. Preferably, the step up/down data is generated by thereceiver by combining measured interference power data of the signalreceived from the transmitter with target signal to interference ratio(SIR) data based at least in part on relatively slowly collectedreceived signal quality data. The target SIR data is preferably computedby multiplying a nominal target SIR data based on relatively slowlycollected received signal quality data by a factor based of the ratio ofthe first and second rates so that the target SIR data is quicklyadjusted when a change in data rate occurs.

The invention also provides a transmitter for a wireless communicationsystem in which user data is processed as a multirate signal having afirst rate and in which the user data signal having the first rate isconverted into a transmission data signal having a second faster ratefor transmission. The transmitter transmission power is adjusted on arelatively slow basis by applying a scale factor to the transmitterpower based on quality of data received by a receiver of the transmitteddata. The transmitter includes a data signal rate converter whichincreases the user data signal rate to a higher data transmission rateand a processor for computing a transmission power scale factor based inpart on data generated by the receiver related to quality of datareceived. The data signal rate converter is associated with theprocessor such that the processor computes the transmission power scalefactor as a function of the signal and higher transmission rates wherebya change in the data rate in the user data signal or the rate of thetransmission data signal is compensated for in advance of a receiverquality of data based adjustment associated with such data rate change.

Preferably, the data signal rate converter converts the user data signalhaving a rate N(t) into the transmission data signal having a fasterrate M(t) by repeating selected data bits whereby the energy per bit tonoise spectrum density ratio is increased in the transmission datasignal.

The transmitter is configurable as part of an open loop power controlsystem where the transmitter receives from the receiver of thetransmitted data: a reference signal, reference signal power data,measured interference power data, and target signal to interferenceratio (SIR) data which SIR data is based on relatively slowly collectedreceived signal quality data. As such, the transmitter includes a signalmeasuring device which measures received reference signal power and pathloss processing circuitry for computing a path loss based on thereceived reference signal power data and the measured received referencesignal power. The transmitter processor computes the transmission powerscale factor based on the computed path loss, the received measuredinterference power data, the target SIR data and a weighting factorbased on the signal and higher transmission rates.

The transmitter is also configurable as part of a closed loop powercontrol system where the transmitter receives step up/down data from thereceiver of the transmitted data. As such, the transmitter processorcomputes the transmission power scale factor based on the received stepup/step down data and the weighting factor.

The invention also provides a closed loop transmission power controlsystem for a wireless communication system in which user data isprocessed as a multirate signal having a rate N(t), in which the userdata signal having rate N(t) is converted into a transmission datasignal having a faster rate M(t) for transmission and in which thetransmission power is adjusted by applying a scale factor in response tostep up/down data. The system includes a receiver which receives theM(t) rate transmission data signal and generates the step up/down data.The receiver preferably has a data signal rate converter which decreasesthe data rate of received transmission data M(t) to produce a user datasignal having a lower data rate N(t), a data quality measuring devicefor measuring the quality of data of the user data signal, and circuitryfor computing step up/down data based in part on the measured quality ofdata of the user data signal. The data signal rate converter isassociated with the circuitry to provide rate data such that thecircuitry computes step up/down data as a function of N(t)/M(t) wherebya change in the user data signal rate or the rate of the transmissiondata signal is compensated for in advance of a quality of data basedadjustment associated with such data rate change.

The system also preferably includes a transmitter having a data signalrate converter which converts the user data signal having rate N(t) intothe transmission data signal having a faster rate M(t) by repeatingselected data bits whereby the energy per bit to noise spectrum densityratio is increased in the transmission data signal.

In a preferred embodiment, the receiver has an interference measuringdevice for measuring the power of an interference signal received withthe M(t) rate transmission data signal. The data quality measuringdevice outputs a nominal target SIR data based on relatively slowlycollected received data quality data. The receiver circuitry computesthe step up/down data by combining measured interference power data ofthe signal received from the transmitter with target signal tointerference ratio SIR data which is computed by multiplying the nominaltarget SIR data by a factor N(t)/M(t) so that the target SIR data isquickly adjusted when a change in data rate occurs.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art based upon the following description of presently preferredembodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional open loop power controlsystem for single rate data wireless communication.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conventional closed loop powercontrol system for single rate data wireless communication.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional open loop power controlsystem for variable multirate data wireless communication.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a conventional closed loop powercontrol system for variable multirate data wireless communication.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of data rate up-conversion from 6 to 8 bitsper block using repetition.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of data rate down-conversion of repeated datafrom 8 to 6 bits per block.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a fast adaptive open loop power controlsystem for variable multirate data wireless communication made inaccordance with the teaching of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a fast adaptive closed loop powercontrol system for variable multirate data wireless communication madein accordance with the teaching of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Conventional power control methods for wireless systems such as 3G PPutilize so-called inner and outer loops. The power control system isreferred to as either open or closed dependent upon whether the innerloop is open or closed. The outer loops of both types of systems areclosed loops.

Pertinent portions of an open loop power control system having a“transmitting” communication station 10 and a “receiving” communicationstation 30 are shown in FIG. 1. Both stations 10, 30 are transceivers.Typically one is a base station and the other a type of user equipmentUE. For clarity, only selected components are illustrated.

The transmitting station 10 includes a transmitter 11 having a data line12 which transports a user data signal for transmission. The user datasignal is provided with a desired power level which is adjusted byapplying a transmit power scale factor from an output 13 of a processor15 to adjust the transmission power level. The user data is transmittedfrom an antenna system 14 of the transmitter 11.

A wireless radio signal 20 containing the transmitted data is receivedby the receiving station 30 via a receiving antenna system 31. Thereceiving antenna system will also receive interfering radio signals 21which impact on the quality of the received data. The receiving station30 includes an interference power measuring device 32 to which thereceived signal is input which device 32 outputs measured interferencepower data. The receiving station 30 also includes a data qualitymeasuring device 34 into which the received signal is also input whichdevice 34 produces a data quality signal. The data quality measuringdevice 34 is coupled with a processing device 36 which receives thesignal quality data and computes target signal to interference ratio(SIR) data based upon a user defined quality standard parameter receivedthrough an input 37.

The receiving station 30 also includes a transmitter 38 which is coupledwith the interference power measuring device 32 and the target SIRgenerating processor 36. The receiving station's transmitter 38 alsoincludes inputs 40, 41, 42 for user data, a reference signal, andreference signal transmit power data, respectively. The receivingstation 30 transmits its user data and the control related data andreferences signal via an associated antenna system 39.

The transmitting station 10 includes a receiver 16 and an associatedreceiving antenna system 17. The transmitting station's receiver 16receives the radio signal transmitted from the receiving station 30which includes the receiving station's user data 44 and the controlsignal and data 45 generated by the receiving station 30.

The transmitting station processor 15 is associated with thetransmitting station's receiver 16 in order to compute the transmitpower scale factor. The transmitter 11 also includes a device 18 formeasuring received reference signal power which device 18 is associatedwith path loss computing circuitry 19.

In order to compute the transmit power scale factor, the processor 15receives data from a target SIR data input 22 which carries the targetSIR data generated by the receiver station's target SIR generatingprocessor 36, an interference power data input 23 which carries theinterference data generated by the receiving station's interferencepower measuring device 32, and a path loss data input 24 which carries apath loss signal that is the output of the path loss computing circuitry19. The path loss signal is generated by the path loss computingcircuitry 19 from data received via a reference signal transmit powerdata input 25 which carries the reference signal transmit power dataoriginating from the receiving station 30 and a measured referencesignal power input 26 which carries the output of the reference signalpower measuring device 18 of the transmitter 11. The reference signalmeasuring device 18 is coupled with the transmitting station's receiver16 to measure the power of the reference signal as received from thereceiving station's transmitter 38. The path loss computing circuitry 19preferably determines the path loss based upon the difference betweenthe known reference power signal strength conveyed by input 25 and themeasured received power strength conveyed by input 26.

Interference power data, reference signal power data and target SIRvalues are signaled to the transmitting station 10 at a ratesignificantly lower than the time-varying rate of the propagationchannel and interference. The “inner” loop is the portion of the systemwhich relies on the measured interface. The system is considered “openloop” because there is no feedback to the algorithm at a rate comparableto the time-varying rate of the propagation channel and interferenceindicating how good the estimates of minimum required transmitter powerare. If required transmit power level changes rapidly, the system cannotrespond accordingly to adjust the scale factor in a timely manner.

With respect to the outer loop of the open loop power control system ofFIG. 1, at the remote receiver station 30, the quality of the receiveddata is evaluated via the measuring device 34. Typical metrics fordigital data quality are bit error rate and block error rate.Computation of these metrics requires data accumulated over periods oftime significantly longer than the period of the time-varyingpropagation channel and interference. For any given metric, there existsa theoretical relationship between the metric and received SIR. Whenenough data has been accumulated in the remote receiver to evaluate themetric, it is computed and compared with the desired metric(representing a desired quality of service) in processor 36 and anupdated target SIR is then output. The updated target SIR is that value(in theory) when applied in the transmitter inner loop would cause themeasured metric to converge to the desired value. Finally, the updatedtarget SIR is passed, via the receiving station transmitter 38 and thetransmitting station receiver 16, to the transmitter 11 for use in itsinner loop. The update rate of target SIR is bounded by the timerequired to accumulate the quality statistic and practical limits on thesignaling rate to the power-controlled transmitter.

With reference to FIG. 2, a communication system having a transmittingstation 50 and a receiving station 70 which employs a closed loop powercontrol system is illustrated.

The transmitting station 50 includes a transmitter 51 having a data line52 which transports a user data signal for transmission. The user datasignal is provided with a desired power level which is adjusted byapplying a transmit power scale factor from an output 53 of a processor55 to adjust the power level. The user data is transmitted via anantenna system 54 of the transmitter 51.

A wireless radio signal 60 containing the transmitted data is receivedby the receiving station 70 via a receiving antenna system 71. Thereceiving antenna system will also receive interfering radio signals 71which impact on the quality of the received data. The receiving station70 includes an interference power measuring device 72 to which thereceived signal is input which device 72 outputs measured SIR data. Thereceiving station 70 also includes a data quality measuring device 74into which the received signal is also input which device 74 produces adata quality signal. The data quality measuring device 74 is coupledwith a processor 76 which receives the signal quality data and computestarget signal to interference ratio (SIR) data based upon a user definedquality standard parameter received through an input 75.

A combiner 76, preferably a substracter, compares the measured SIR datafrom the device 72 with the computed target SIR data from the processor74, preferably by subtracting, to output an SIR error signal. The SIRerror signal from the combiner 76 is input to processing circuitry 77which generates step up/down commands based thereon.

The receiving station 70 also includes a transmitter 78 which is coupledwith the processing circuitry 77. The receiving station's transmitter 78also includes an input 80 for user data. The receiving station 70transmits its user data and the control related data via an associateantenna system 79.

The transmitting station 50 includes a receiver 56 and an associatedreceiving antenna system 57. The transmitting station's receiver 56receives the radio signal transmitted from the receiving station 70which includes the receiving station's user data 84 and the control data85 generated by the receiving station.

The transmitting station's scale factor processor 55 has an input 58associated with the transmitting station's receiver 16. The processor 55receives the up/down command signal through input 58 and computes thetransmit power scale factor based thereon.

With respect to the inner loop of the closed loop power control system,the transmitting station's transmitter 51 sets its power based uponhigh-rate “step-up” and “step-down” commands generated by the remotereceiving station 70. At the remote receiving station 70, the SIR of thereceived data is measured by the measuring device 72 and compared with atarget SIR value generated by the processor 74 via combiner 76. Thetarget SIR is that value (in theory) when, given that the data isreceived with that value, results in a desired quality of service. Ifthe measured received SIR is less than the target SIR, a “step-down”command is issued by the processing circuitry 77, via the receivingstation's transmitter 78 and the transmitting station's receiver 56, tothe transmitter 51, otherwise a “step-up” command is issued. The powercontrol system is considered “closed-loop” because of the high-ratefeedback of the “step-up” and “step-down” commands which can react inreal time to the time-varying propagation channel and interference. Ifrequired transmit power level changes due to time varying interferenceand propagation, it quickly responds and adjusts transmit poweraccordingly.

With respect to the outer loop of the closed loop power control system,the quality of the received data is evaluated in the receiving station70 by the measuring device 73. Typical metrics for digital data qualityare bit error rate and block error rate. Computation of these metricsrequires data accumulated over periods of time significantly longer thanthe period of the time-varying propagation channel and interference. Forany given metric, there exists a theoretical relationship between themetric and received SIR. When enough data has been accumulated in theremote receiver to evaluate the metric, it is computed and compared withthe desired metric (representing a desired quality of service) by theprocessor 74 and an updated target SIR is then output. The updatedtarget SIR is that value (in theory) which when applied in the receiveralgorithm would cause the measured metric to converge to the desiredvalue. The updated target SIR is then used in the inner loop todetermine the direction of the step up/down commands sent to thetransmitting station's power scale generating processor 55 to controlthe power of the transmitter 51.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate power control systems for single rate datatransmissions. However, in a digital communications system, data can beprocessed in blocks with a given bit rate and given block size, oralternatively, a given number of bits per block and given block rate. Insuch systems, for example, 3GPP FDD and TDD systems, more than one datarate can exist at any given time within the communications system, andsuch data rates can vary over time. FIG. 3 illustrates a modifiedopen-loop power control system and FIG. 4 illustrates a modifiedclosed-loop power control system for wireless systems which communicatemultiple data channels having variable data rates.

To accommodate multichannel variable rate data transmission, the openloop power control system illustrated in FIG. 1 is modified, as shown inFIG. 3, to include an up converter 27 in the transmitting station 10 anda down converter 47 in the receiving station 30.

The user data for transmission is combined into a signal having a datarate N(t). The data stream having the rate N(t) is converted to a datastream having a higher rate M(t) by data up converter 27 which has anoutput 28 which carries the transmission data signal having the rateM(t).

At the receiving station 30, the user data signal having the rate M(t)is received and down converted by the converter 47 to the original rateN(t). The interference power measuring device 32 measures theinterference of the signal as received with its higher M(t) rate. Thedata quality measuring device 34 is coupled to the user data path downstream converter 47 and measures the quality of the data after it hasbeen down converted to the N(t) rate.

To accommodate multichannel variable rate data transmission, the closedloop power control system illustrated in FIG. 2 is modified, as shown inFIG. 4, to include an up converter 67 in the transmitting station 50 anda down converter 87 in the receiving station 70. The user data fortransmission is combined into a signal having a data rate N(t). The datastream having the rate N(t) is converted to a data stream having ahigher rate M(t) by data up converter 67 which has an output 68 whichcarries the transmission data signal having the rate M(t).

At the receiving station 70, the user data signal having the rate M(t)is received and down converted by the converter 87 to the original rateN(t). The interference power measuring device 72 measures theinterference of the signal as received with its higher M(t) rate. Thedata quality measuring device 73 is coupled to the user data down streamconverter 87 and measures the quality of the data after it has been downconverted to the N(t) rate.

In both types of multichannel variable rate systems, the user data inputto the transmitter 11, 51 for transmission to the remote receiver 30, 70has the data rate denoted N(t) and the user data output from the remotereceiver is at that same rate. Data rate N(t) can be the composite ofseveral data rates of different data channels which have beenmultiplexed for transmission over a common bearer. That N is a functionof (t) indicates that the rate may vary, that is, be different from timeto time, or from block to block. Reasons for this variation include theaddition and/or deletion of data channels and actual data rate changesin existing channels, as is typical for packet services.

Also in both systems, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the transmit datapath, the data rate is changed from N(t) to M(t) and change back to N(t)in the remote receiver. Data rate N(t) is the user data rate and thedata rate M(t) is over-the-air data rate, which can be quite independentof each other.

In a 3GPP TDD system, for example, M(t) is the number of bits per 10msec. frame in a given number of time slots and orthogonal variablespreading factor codes at given spreading factors. That M is a functionof (t) indicates that the rate may vary, that is, be different from timeto time, or more specifically, from frame-to-frame. Varying M isequivalent to varying the spreading factors and/or number of physicalchannels used per frame, varying N is equivalent to a data rate changein one or more transport channels. Rate M(t) is equivalent to N_(dataj)bits per 10 msec. frame and N(t) is equivalent toPL·1/RM _(min) ΣRM _(i) ·N _(ij) _(TrCH i)bits per 10 msec. frame, during the time t when TFCj is in effect,where, as defined in 3GPP:

-   -   N_(ij) is the number of bits in a radio frame before rate        matching on TrCH i with transport format combination j.    -   RM_(i) is the semi-static rate matching attribute for TrCH i        which is signaled from higher layers.    -   PL is the puncturing limit which value limits the amount of        puncturing that can be applied in order to minimize the number        of physical channels and is signaled from higher layers.    -   N_(dataj) is the total number of bits that are available for a        coded composite TrCH in a radio frame with transport format        combination j.    -   TF_(i)(j) is the transport format of TrCH i for the transport        format combination j.    -   TB or Transport Block is defined as the basic data unit        exchanged between L1 and MAC. An equivalent term for Transport        Block is “MAC PDU”.    -   TBS or Transport Block Set is defined as a set of Transport        Blocks that is exchanged between Layer 1 and MAC at the same        time instance using the same Transport Channel.    -   TrCH or Transport Channel are the channels offered by the        physical layer to Layer 2 for data transport between peer Layer        1 entities. Different types of Transport Channels are defined by        how and with which characteristics data is transferred on the        physical layer, e.g. whether using dedicated or common physical        channels.    -   TF or Transport Format is defined as a format offered by Layer 1        to MAC for the delivery of a Transport Block Set during a        Transmission Time Interval on a Transport Channel. The Transport        Format consists of two parts—one dynamic part and one        semi-static part.    -   TFC or Transport Format Combination is defined as the        combination of currently valid Transport Formats on all        Transport Channels, i.e. containing one Transport Format from        each Transport Channel.    -   TFCS or Transport Format Combination Set is defined as a set of        Transport Format Combinations.    -   MAC or Medium Access Control is a sub-layer of radio interface        Layer 2 providing unacknowledged data transfer service on        logical channels and access to Transport Channels.    -   PDU or Protocol Data Unit is a unit of data specified in an        (N)-protocol layer and consisting of (N)-protocol control        information and possibly (N)-user data.

The conversion from rate N(t) to rate M(t) is performed in thetransmitting station 10, 50 in the converter 26, 67 which indicatesup-conversion by the factor M(t)/N(t). The conversion rate from rateM(t) back to rate N(t) is performed in the remote receiving station 30,70 in the converter 47, 87 which indicates down-conversion by the factorN(t)/M(t).

In both systems illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, rate M(t) is shown to behigher than rate N(t). This is deliberate. An unintended effect of theupward rate conversion, mitigation of which is an object of theinvention, occurs only for case of up-conversion by repetition in thetransmitter, which is described below. This effect does not happen ifN(t)=M(t) and the effect is different if N(t)>M(t) which is not thesubject of this invention.

Up-conversion of a data rate can be implemented by repetition that is,repeating selected bits in a rate N block until it contains the samenumber of bits as a block at rate M and to perform down-conversion bynumerically combing the received repeated “soft” bits. Up-conversion byrepetition is illustrated in an example shown in FIG. 5, where B_(i) isthe i^(th) “hard” bit, that is ∀1, in the input sequence, for thesimplified case of increasing the data rate from six to eight bits perblock. In the example, two bits, 2 and 5, are repeated, changing theblock size from six to eight. In FIG. 6, where b_(i)+n_(j) is a “soft”bit, that is, a digital sample within the receiver of the transmittedbit B_(i) plus noise component n_(j) at time j, the down-conversionprocess, with input consisting of eight “soft” bits is illustrated.Received “soft” bits 2 and 3 are numerically summed to form a scaledversion of the original bits 2 and 3; similarly, received “soft” bits 6and 7 are numerically summed to form a scaled version of the originalbit 5.

The particular repeated bits used in the example represent uniformdistribution of repeated bits, which, in conjunction with aninterleaver, is a particular scheme used in a 3GPP system. However, thechoice of bits to repeat is not germane to the invention.

The above-described method of data rate conversion is a component ofso-called “rate matching” using repetition functions used in the 3GPPTDD and FDD systems. It has the advantage, over the simplistic method ofsending (two, in the example) dummy bits to change the data rate, inthat the energy difference between the original shorter and transmittedlonger block can be exploited to improve signal quality. To illustrate,in the example, received bits 2 and 5 have twice the energy per bitnoise spectrum density ratio (Eb/No) of the other received bits. Thisresults in an overall improvement of bit error and block error rates ofthe received data as compared to what those quality metrics would havebeen had the bits not been repeated and two dummy bits been sentinstead. Of course, eight units of energy were used to transmit dataonly requiring six units of energy. There are as a result the effect ofthe unintended but consequential increased transmission energy and theeffect of improved received data quality. Those effects are addressed bythe present invention.

The open and closed power control systems shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 forvariable multirate data are virtually the same as those shown in FIGS. 1and 2 for single rate data. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 represent open and closedpower control systems for a 3GPP TDD communication system. However, boththe open and closed loop power control systems are less than optimal inaddressing the effects of rate changes for variable multirate data.

In the open loop system of FIG. 3, with N(t) equal to M(t) in the steadystate and ignoring the variance of a fading channel or any variableinterference, the target SIR will settle at a quiescent point yieldingthe desired data quality. This condition is equivalent to the singlerate example of FIG. 1. In a multiple channel variable rate system,however, at some time, t, N, and/or M changes. As described above, wherethis results in an improvement to the measured data quality metric, moreenergy than is actually required is transmitted. The outer loop, whichoperates at a relatively low rate, will eventually detect the improvedsignal quality and then lower the target SIR for the inner loop toreduce transmitter power to compensate for what it perceives as too-highsignal quality. In the meantime, the transmitter 11 will be using moreenergy than is actually necessary to transmit the data (to have itreceived with the required quality). In the case of an open loop powercontrolled transmit station being a battery powered mobile unit (as canbe the case in a 3GPP system), unnecessary battery power is expended.

The invention as it applies to open loop power control for variablemultirate data is illustrated in FIG. 7 where corresponding elements areidentified with the same reference numbers as in FIG. 3. As shown inFIG. 7, the transmitting station's converter 27 provides an additionalinput 29 to the scale factor generating processor 15. Through input 29,the converter provides a signal equivalent to √(N(t)/M(t)) to theprocessor 15 as a factor in calculating the transmit power scale factor.Accordingly, when the modified scale factor is applied to thetransmitted data, it causes the transmit power to be adjusted by thefactor of N(t)/M(t) to immediately compensate for the rate change inN(t) or M(t).

This modified scale factor is applied in the same manner as is theconventional scale factor that sets transmitter power, which is derivedfrom:P _(TS) =SIR _(TARGET) +I _(RS)+α(L−L ₀)+L _(o)+CONSTANT VALUE  Equation1where the additive terms represent multiplicative factors expressed indB. As a practical matter, the additional factor used in generating thescale factor becomes simply another term in the above equation, which inthe above form becomes:P _(TS) =SIR _(TARGET) +I _(RS+α() L−L ₀)+L _(o)+CONSTANTVALUE+N(t)/M(t)  Equation 2where:

P_(TS) is the transmitting station's transmission power level indecibels.

SIR_(TARGET) is determined in the receiving station.

I_(RS) is the measure of the interference power level at the receivingstation.

L is the path loss estimate in decibels for the most recent time slotfor which the path loss was estimated.

L₀, the long term average of the path loss in decibels, is the runningaverage of the pathloss estimate, L.

CONSTANT VALUE is a correction term. The CONSTANT VALUE corrects fordifferences in the uplink and downlink channels, such as to compensatefor differences in uplink and downlink gain. Additionally, the CONSTANTVALUE may provide correction if the transmit power reference level ofthe receiving station is transmitted, instead of the actual transmitpower.

α is a weighting value which is a measure of the quality of theestimated path loss and is, preferably, based on the number of timeslots between the time slot of the last path loss estimate and the firsttime slot of the communication transmitted by the transmitting station.The value of a is between zero and one. Generally, if the timedifference between the time slots is small, the recent path lossestimate will be fairly accurate and a is set at a value close to one.By contrast, if the time difference is large, the path loss estimate maynot be accurate and the long term average path loss measurement is mostlikely a better estimate for the path loss. Accordingly, α is set at avalue closer to one. Equations 3 and 4 are equations for determining α.α=1−(D−1)/(D _(max)−1)  Equation 3α=max{1−(D−1)/(D_(max-allowed)−1), 0}  Equation 4where the value, D, is the number of time slots between the time slot ofthe last path loss estimate and the first time slot of the transmittedcommunication which will be referred to as the time slot delay. If thedelay is one time slot, α is one. D_(max) is the maximum possible delay.A typical value for a frame having fifteen time slots is seven. If thedelay is D_(max), α is zero. D_(max-allowed) is the maximum allowed timeslot delay for using open loop power control. If the delay exceedsD_(max-allowed) open loop power control is effectively turned off bysetting α=0.

As the data rates N(t) and M(t) change from time-to-time, the inventivesystem of FIG. 7 compensates for the change in required power, asopposed to waiting for a revised target SIR to be determined by theouter loop to compensate for the data rate change. Thus, for open looppower control, the invention virtually eliminates the period of timewhen the transmitted signal is sent with excess power due to a data ratechange.

With respect to the closed loop system of FIG. 4 with N(t) equal to M(t)in the steady state, ignoring the variance of a fading channel or anyvariable interference, the target SIR will settle at a quiescent pointyielding the desired data quality. This is the equivalent of the singlerate system of FIG. 2. With variable multirate, however, at some time t,N and/or M changes. As described above, where this results in animprovement to the measured data quality metric, more energy than isactually required is transmitted. However, the measured SIR does notchange with changes in N and M, because the SIR is measured before thedown-conversion and concomitant increase in Eb/No (or SIR) per repeatedbit. Since the outer loop operates at a relatively low rate, in theshort term, the power control commands sent back to the transmitter willno longer be accurate. However, eventually the outer loop will detectthe improved signal quality and compute a lower target SIR for the innerloop to compensate for what it perceives as too-high signal quality.When that happens, this too-low target SIR will downward bias the stepup/down decisions and thus reduce transmitter power. This in turn willresult in below-required signal quality at the receiver. Eventually, theouter loop will respond to the degraded signal quality with a highertarget SIR, and in the steady state the system will eventually convergeto the correct power level. Until then, the received signal will bedegraded.

FIG. 8 illustrates the invention as it applies to a closed loop powercontrol system for variable multirate data where corresponding elementshave the same reference numerals as in FIG. 4. In the transmitter 51 ofthe transmitting station 50, the converter 67 provides an additionalinput 69 to the scale factor generating processor 55. The converterprovides a signal equivalent to /(N(t)/M(t)) so that the scale factoroutput by the processor 55 via output 53 is a function of N(t)/M(t) asdescribed above in connection with the open loop system of FIG. 7.

In the receiver, the converter 87 outputs a signal equivalent toN(t)/M(t) to a combiner 88, preferably a multiplier. The output of thetarget SIR processor 74 is diverted to the combiner 88. The combiner 88combines the rate change data from the converter 87 and the target SIRdata from the processor 74 and outputs an adjusted target SIR to thecombiner 76.

Through this configuration, the processor 74 effectively outputs anominal target SIR. By applying the factor N(t)/M(t) to the nominaltarget SIR determined from the measured signal quality, a more rapidresponse is made to compensate or adjust for a change in received powerdue to a data rate change.

As data rates N(t) and M(t) change from time-to-time, the system of FIG.8 rapidly compensates for the change in required power in thetransmitter and the changed expected received signal strength in thereceiver, as opposed to waiting for the outer loop to compensate for thedata rate change. Thus, for closed loop power control system of FIG. 8the period of time when the received signal is received below acceptablequality due to a data rate change is reduced.

Although various components have been identified separately within therespective transmitting and receiving stations, those of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that various elements can be combined. Forexample, combiner 88 of the system of FIG. 8 can be embodied in a singleprocessor within processor 74. Other variations and modificationsconsistent with the invention will be recognized by those of ordinaryskill in the art.

1. A base station comprising: a receiving circuit configured to receivea signal from a user equipment at a determined transmit power level;wherein the power level received is set by at least combining a firstvalue with a second value; the first value being derived at least from apathloss from the base station to the user equipment and the secondvalue being derived at least by dividing a number of data elements fortransmission by the user equipment by a number of elements provided inthe transmitted signal for reception by the base station; and atransmitting circuit configured to transmit power commands to the userequipment; wherein the determined power level received is furtherderived from the received power commands at the user equipment.
 2. Thebase station of claim 1 wherein the first value is derived at least frommultiplying the pathloss with a parameter; wherein the parameter isconfigured to have a value in a range from 0 to
 1. 3. The base stationof claim 1 wherein the received signal is received in a time intervalincluding at least one time slot.
 4. The base station of claim 3 whereinthe power level received is determined on a time interval basis.
 5. Thebase station of claim 1 wherein the receiving circuit is configured toreceive the signal as a code division multiple access signal.